State and Local Policy

State and Local Policy

OneAmerica has a successful track record of actively shaping policy and educating policy makers about issues around immigrants and immigration at the local and state levels. Locally, OneAmerica has worked to pass resolutions, ordinances and develop policies that acknowledge the rights and needs of immigrants, while at the same time opposing policies that would harm Washington’s foreign born residents. At the State level, OneAmerica is leading the development of an immigrant integration agenda and is actively involved in analyzing and responding to policies that impact immigrant communities.

Whether preserving the rights of all Washington residents to economic opportunity or ensuring continued funding for citizenship services and language access and acquisition programs, OneAmerica is a statewide resource for policy analysis and advocacy from the Capitol in Olympia to Yakima Valley and Spokane.

In 2015, OneAmerica will focus on legislation that seeks to redress issues of inequality due to Climate Change, pass a Washington Voting Rights Act that ensures our communities are fairly represented in local politcs, increased funding for the Washington New Americans program that provides essential citizenship services, a Dual-Language Education Bill that seeks to promote a diverse linguistic environment in Washignton's school systems, and many other pieces of legislation.

Last month, immigrant advocates, high-skilled immigrants and their families celebrated an important change in federal rules allowing the spouses of certain high-skilled visa holders to receive authMore